What is it about a laptop that ultimately convinces you to spend your hard-earned Ben Franklins on it? If you care less about build quality than you do internal software, the Samsung RC512 would be a good fit for you. Though it no doubt looks sleek and high quality, the actual materials that make up the computer give it a bit too much flex for our liking, both on the lid and keyboard buttons.

However, since it does weigh a hefty 5.6 pounds and measures 1.4x15x10.2 inches, the RC512 would most likely end up on your desk anyway, where lid flex wouldn’t be much of a concern. The RC512 does have Nvidia’s Optimus graphics technology, wireless HD output to a TV (via WiDi), a Blu-ray drive, a Core i7 processor, and more, so the innards certainly make up for the shoddy outer.

Here are some highlights of our review of the Samsung RC512:

“The RC512 comes with a smattering of preinstalled apps and links—some useful, some not—but there isn’t an egregious amount of bloatware, as you often find on other manufacturer’s systems. Because the RC512 is sold exclusively at Best Buy, it’s no surprise that the Best Buy PC app is installed, with a shortcut to it on the Windows desktop.”

“The 15.6-inch screen has a glossy coating and a native resolution of 1,366x768. The display is bright and sharp, and colors are crisp. While the display’s resolution isn’t high enough to support the native 1080p video playback of Blu-ray movies, they nevertheless look beautiful even though they’re scaled down to fit the RC512’s lower resolution. Certainly, the glossy screen contributes to the eye-popping visual quality, but the downside is that it too easily shows off stray reflections from ambient lighting.”

“All that said, we can’t ignore the flex we perceived in the lid and keyboard, and we can't be sure whether it presents an increased susceptibility to damage or whether it just seems less durable than it is. It's a subjective thing, and you’ll have to decide for yourself if it's a deal-breaker. If this will be the hub computer of your home and mostly sit on a desk, it would theoretically be less of an issue than if you were planning on commuting with it.”